Promises of a New Land
by MattsUK
Summary: Following the events of Honest Hearts and Lonesome Road, a new found trio journeys towards the promises of a new land. A land untouched by the war and the people of the Wastes. However, what they find is not what they expect. (Strong Language) (Cover Image: /art/Joshua-Graham-Sketch-352402986
1. Chapter 1 - Prologue

**Chapter 1: Promises of a New Land/Prologue**

After the encompassing events that followed the arrival (and departure) of Courier Six in Zion, The Burned Man decided that it was time to leave Zion behind and search for a new life. The tribes of Zion were strong now and would appoint a worthy leader in his absence.

During the Courier's short stay in Zion, he spoke to Graham about an 'unspoken land'. This land was, supposedly, untouched by the war and the people of the Wasteland, including Caesar and The NCR. The Courier had told Graham that he was headed to this 'unspoken land' after he resolved the chaos that ensued in the canyons of Zion.

The Courier had offered to take Graham with him as he traveled to this new world and, upon hearing of the death of Caesar himself, he decided that it would be a good choice to remake himself as a new person. This 'unspoken land' brought many promises with its name, and Graham would claim those promises offered to him.

Ensuing the fall of the white legs and the safety of Zion, the Courier departed with Joshua Graham for the new land they had once spoken of.

Promises of the new land came from the west, through NCR territory. These promises had not revealed their source, but Graham and the Courier would travel west, in search for the source of the rumors or the new land itself.

Treading on the Bear's territory was a risk that Graham was willing to take. This new land would be worth the sum of his pain that he would evoke traversing the Bear's land.

The pair walked west for months. They encountered more problems than The Bear. The creatures of the waste were harsh and unforgiving. The Divide was relentless, a hell on earth. In The Divide, they met a man named Ulysses. Although Ulysses was a broken man, this man was wise, if you had a question, there was always an answer from Ulysses.

His life in shambles, Ulysses was offered a spot in the party, which he gladly accepted.

The new found trio journeyed further west to find the land they had promised themselves.


	2. Chapter 2 - Broken Promises

**Courier Six – Six Apparel: Elite Riot Gear Weaponry: Chance's Knife, Mysterious Magnum, Survivalist's Rifle, Frag Grenades  
><strong> 

**Joshua Graham – Joshua/Josh Apparel: Joshua Graham's Armour + Headwrap Weaponry: A Light In Shining Darkness, Frag Grenades  
><strong> 

**Ulysses – Ulysses Apparel: Ulysses' Duster, Ulysses' Mask Weaponry: Old Glory, Anti-Material Rifle, 12.7mm SMG, Frag Grenades + Flash Bangs**

**Chapter 2: Broken Promises**

The change in scenery was almost immediate. The Wastelanders had been treading through the crumbled ruins of their apocalyptic world when they saw a flash of light. Temporarily blinded and unable to see what was happening around them, the trio drew their weapons in preparation of the upcoming fight.

As their vision slowly returned, they were bewildered to find a lush forest of Avocado leaves. They holstered their weapons and took in their surroundings. Leaves fell from the trees. Ulysses snatched one of the falling green leaves. He smoothed his finger over the surface of the leaf.

"Soft to the touch," he proclaimed. Joshua ran his blackened fingers along the bark of the nearest tree and smiled an unseen smile, concealed under bandages.

The Courier knelt down and laid his palm on the floor, touching and grasping the soft dirt in his fingers. He was lost for words.

"God has led us to this world," started Joshua, "the land he promised us, come early." He smirked again.

"Indeed," said Six, "your God is spoiling us."

"Do not make assumptions so quickly," said Ulysses, "history may not have taken its toll yet."

"Lighten up, Ulysses!" said Six, "this is a new chance! A new start! For us!"

"Expect the unexpected," said Ulysses, "The Divide has taught us that history always has its place."

"Ulysses speaks the truth," said Joshua, "we do not know what this land harbours, be it good or bad, human or animal, we must remain alert."

"Right," agreed Six.

The Wastelanders grew tired from their long journey, yet they continued walking through the majestic forest, weapons drawn. They only walked undisturbed through the darkened forest. The group came to a small clearing in the large forest. In the clearing, a singular beam of light penetrated the thick canopy of leaves above them. They decided to sit down and rest for some minutes before heading back out into the forest. A rustle in the bushes caught the trio's attention. They drew their weapons in spite of the disturbance. Red eyes glowed like fire behind the darkness of the treeline. A large creature that looked like that of a Yao Guai, just bigger, emerged from the darkness. The Yao Guai-like creature swiped at Six who narrowly evaded the large claws of the creature. The trio filled the creature with bullets and it fell quickly and heavily. The creature let out one last dying breath as it died.

Joshua crouched down next to the one living creature, now a simple corpse.

"Much like a Yao Guai, yet its eyes burn like fire, now an extinguished flame." He stated

The Courier examined the large spinal-like bones protruding from the back of the creature. "Bones covering it's back, like an exoskeleton of sorts."

"I have never seen a creature like this before, like a Deathclaw, yet slower and weaker" replied Joshua

"We must continue," said Ulysses, "could be civilisation, like the old world, who knows?"

The group continued through the forest.

**Meanwhile: Beacon Academy Initiation Students: Yang & Blake**

"Blake, did you hear that?!" questioned Yang.

"Someone could be in trouble," responded Blake

"Let's go then!" exclaimed Yang as she ran off toward the scene, dragging Blake behind her.

The duo wandered toward the source of the now silent gunfire. Trudging through the bushes and manoeuvring past the branches and trees, they came upon a small clearing in the forest, where the leaves in the canopy parted, revealing a crack of daylight. They had walked for over ten minutes

"Sheesh, looks like we missed the party," said Yang slightly disheartened seeing as she wouldn't get to fight anything for a while. Blake knelt down by the dead Ursa and examined the wounds in its torso.

"I've never seen these kinds of bullet wounds before…" said Blake. Blake caught sight of a small piece of metal sitting next to her, gleaming in the sunlight provided by the small crack in the leaves. She picked up the empty bullet casing on the floor.

"It's… strange." She said, examining the empty bullet casing

"What do you mean?" asked Yang

"I've never seen this kind of bullet before," replied Blake, "It doesn't seem to use dust."

Yang gasped, "We should go find Ruby! I bet she'd love to find out what fired this! She's always so into weapons!"

Blake pocketed the empty bullet casing and the couple continued with their main objective.

**Wastelanders:**

The Wastelanders had left the scene of their encounter and had continued venturing through the forest until they came across a large clearing with what appeared to be a Temple of sorts in the center.

"A temple?" asked Joshua

"Was," replied Ulysses, "Now a thing of the past."

The Wastelanders walked down into the center of the clearing and observed the Temple.

"Pre-war," said Ulysses, "Before the Old World too."

Six observed the stone podiums. Each of the podiums, save 2, harboured chess pieces.

"Chess pieces?" asked Six. He let out a small chuckle and said, "Old World entertainment."

"We are now aware that this world has been blessed with human life," Said Joshua, "Hopefully it still is."

"If there are chess pieces on these podiums, civilisation must be fairly well developed." Stated Six as he picked up one of the chess pieces and began examining it. "They're new too. They must've been placed here pretty recently."

Six placed the chess piece back on its podium and the group reformed and headed toward the nearby valley. Upon entering the clearing that harboured the valley, they spotted a large building, one that reached higher than any building in the Wastes.

"Civilisation?" asked Joshua

"Let's hope," replied Six, "I'm getting hungry."

**20 minutes prior: Prof. Ozpin and Glynda Goodwitch**

"Professor Ozpin," started Goodwitch, "Our cameras have found some 'extras'. I ran a face recognition scan on them and it appears that they are not students of Beacon, sir. What should we do?"

Ozpin remained silent as he observed the newcomers through the camera feed.

"Professor Ozpin?" said Goodwitch, attempting to make herself noticed.

**Wastelanders:**

The Wastelanders advanced towards the colossal building. The building was built atop a large cliff face. The Wastelanders scoured the area around the cliff for a way to easily scale the cliff, like a trail or a path that led straight up to the top of the cliff. Having no such luck, the trio's only option was to climb the cliff. The climb was quick and surprisingly quick for the Wastelanders. As the Wastelanders neared the top, Ulysses glanced back at the valley they were previously trekking through. The valley remained quiet.

The climb took no more than ten minutes and the Wastelanders were greeted by a middle-aged man wearing a green coat, carrying a coffee mug and a cane in separate hands.

"I trust the climb was hard, no?" asked Ozpin as he saw Six's head pop up from the edge of the cliff.

Six almost lost his grip as he heard the sudden voice. He didn't expect anyone to be waiting for them, nor did he expect to be greeted in such a friendly manor. Six hoisted himself over the edge of the cliff and stood to face the man.

"You mock me?" asked six, regaining his breath. Ozpin stood silent and Six turned to help his comrades over the edge of the cliff.

"Who are you?" demanded Six

"My name is Professor Ozpin; I am the headmaster at Beacon Academy

"An academy?" asked Six, "Haven't seen a running school yet."

"None of us have, Six." Said Joshua

"Well, gentlemen, it looks to me like you have had a rough day. I am willing to offer you rooms for the night, but only for the night." Said Ozpin

Six laughed at his proposal.

"You mean you're willing to give us FREE accommodation?" asked Joshua

"For one night," replied Ozpin, "However, I have not seen you in battle yet. Prove to me your worth and I will offer you a place in Beacon Academy."

"Sounds good to me, "said Six, looking over to his comrades. Joshua and Ulysses nodded their approval.

The Wastelanders were guided to their temporary housing by Ozpin. They were astounded by the size of the building.

"This is a school?!" Six questioned

"Correct," replied Ozpin casually

"Why is it so… BIG!?" Six continued

"This is an academy, here we train students to become hunters and huntresses," Ozpin explained

Six cut him off, "All of this to train some kids to hunt animals?"

Ozpin glared at him, "You did not allow me to finish. Hunters and huntresses are trained to combat the creatures of Grimm."

"Grimm?" asked Joshua

"Creatures of the darkness," explained Ozpin. They turned a corner into the cafeteria. "You look thirsty," Ozpin said as he gestured toward the cafeteria. The Wastelanders entered, got their drinks, and returned to Ozpin. Upon returning to the headmaster, Six began rummaging around in his pockets.

"How much?" he asked

"All food and drink is provided to students and staff for free. Since this is your first time here and you clearly have no idea where you are, I will offer you a meal and drink for free." Ozpin explained. The Wastelanders looked at each other, smiling; although neither of them could see each other smile under their clothing and armor.

"Lunch is served in an hour," said Ozpin, "but for now, let me show you to your residence for the night." Ozpin guided them to their dorm room. He gave Six a scroll and explained to him that it was used for opening the door. He also explained the other functions of the scrolls, such as communication.

"One more thing, gentlemen," Ozpin started, "If you wish to stay here, report to the cliffs behind the school for initiation tomorrow morning at 10:00 am."

Ozpin left the three Wastelanders to themselves.

"Holy crap! This is amazing!" exclaimed Six as he bounced on one of the three beds in the room

"Initiation?" asked Ulysses, sitting on one of the beds

"I can only assume there will be combat involved. He talked about these 'Creatures of Grimm'. It must involve them." Said Joshua

"But what the hell is a 'Grimm'?" demanded Six

"Might be the bear," Ulysses said, "back in the forest."

"It could be," agreed Joshua

"Listen, guys," started Six, "I'm not really bothered that much about this 'initiation' thing right now, so how about we get some food and then we can do some research on these 'Grimm' guys. I'm sure there's a library somewhere."

Nobody disagreed with Six's plan of action at the moment. The Wastelanders went to the cafeteria and scoffed down some food. They had never eaten anything that tasted so good in their lives. Salisbury Steak had nothing on this food.

After filling their bellies with delicious nourishment, they decided to head back to their dorm rooms for a couple hours to shower and refresh themselves.

After cleaning up, the trio searched for the school's library. They found it easily enough and began their research.

Six researched the Grimm to find their weaknesses and see what types of Grimm there were. He looked for anything that could potentially help them survive.

Joshua researched culture and geology. He found that the world of Remnant housed 4 kingdoms: Mistral, Atlas, Vaccuo and Vale. He also was able to find information on Combat Schools.

Ulysses read up on the History of Remnant. He discovered that Remnant was completely different from the nuclear wastes. The world of Remnant first harboured the Creatures of Grimm, man was then born, but man was born into an unforgiving world. The Grimm almost wiped out human existence on Remnant before the discovery of Dust. With the discovery of Dust, man grew strong in the world of Remnant. Ulysses further researched Dust as the hours grew late.

Ulysses' research went mostly undisturbed, aside from one young girl who decided to disturb him. Ulysses wasn't too happy about this, but he hid his annoyance expertly.

**Earlier  
><strong>"Umm… excuse me?" came a feminine voice from behind him. Ulysses closed his book and placed it on the table he was sitting at. He turned to see a young girl, no older than 15, staring down at him. She had red hair and wore a black dress-like outfit with a red cape. She jumped back a little when he turned to face her

"Umm… sorry," she said slightly shyly, "I-I-haven't seen you here before, are you new?"

"New… Yes. Got here today. From a land of horrors, with two others." He replied

"What do you mean by 'a land of horrors'?" she asked

"I will tell you more another time. Might not be around much longer." He said.

Without wanting any more strange non-understandable answers, the girl rushed off to join a small group of 3 more girls.

Ulysses picked up the book he was previously reading from and continued reading.


	3. Chapter 3 - First Night

**FINALLY, IT'S HERE!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 3: First Night<strong>

"Oh, there you are Ruby!" exclaimed Yang as Ruby re-joined her friends, "Where were you?"

"Oh, I was talking to one of the new students!" replied Ruby

"There are new students?" asked Yang, "I didn't think Ozpin let anyone in after the year started,"

"Well…" started Ruby, "He did look a little old to be a student…"

"Well, what was he like?" questioned Weiss, "We have to know if he's a threat or not!"

"Weiss…" began Blake

"What?" asked Weiss, "I'm just being cautious"

"He was reading a book," said Ruby, "So he must like reading, or he was just studying if he's a student"

Ruby directed her team to where Ulysses sat.

"And he spoke funny too," Ruby added, "Maybe you guys wanna talk to him?"

"Sounds good!" Yang smiled as she dragged the group to confront Ulysses.

Upon seeing the large scuffle of girls head his way, Ulysses marked his page, closed his book and prepared for an onslaught of questions.

"Hey there!" exclaimed the blonde, dragging 3 other girls by their collars. When the blonde got close enough to talk without shouting, she released her companions who all seemed to stand to attention, not wanting to make bad first impressions. Ulysses and his new found company stood (Ulysses sat) in awkward silence. Ulysses waited for the questions to start.

"So…" started the blonde, "What's your name?"

"Ulysses," he replied

"That's a cool name!" said the one in red

"Not my given name, close enough. Took it from history, found it in a book. It's an Old World name." he explained

"Old world?" asked a black-haired girl

"The Old World. Before the war." He replied

"The war?" questioned Yang

"You wouldn't know" said Ulysses

"Well… I'm Yang!" exclaimed the blonde who was immediately pulled to the side by the girl in white when she revealed her name

"What are you doing?" she hissed, "Have you seen how he's dressed!?"

"So what, Weiss?" replied Yang

"He's clearly a degenerate, he has to be homeless! His clothes are so primitive!" complained Weiss

"What's the problem with that?" asked Yang. The other two girls had now turned around to try and solve the dispute, whilst Ulysses silently slipped away to join his own companions. He found Six and Graham conversing about something called 'aura'.

"Aura?" Ulysses questioned, halting the conversation

"Ah, there you are!" Six cried, "We've been looking everywhere for you!"

"By everywhere, he means he searched the first two aisles before giving up and fiddling with his gun." Explained Joshua

"Hey! That's not true!" Six retorted, "I got a book!" he waved a blue covered book in the air

"You didn't read it." Joshua blurted

"Pfft, of course I read it!" argued Six

"It does not matter." Ulysses interrupted, "What is it about?"

"It's about this stuff called 'aura'." Six answered

"I thought you were researching Grimm?" said Ulysses

"Yeah, I was but then I stumbled over this." He waved the book in the air once more, "Looked interesting."

"A book with a plain blue cover looked interesting?" Joshua questioned The Courier's interests

"I meant the title." Said Six, "'Aura for dummies'"

"Now I do truly question your interests…" Joshua smirked

"Whatever," Six said, handing the book over to Ulysses, "Here, read it."

Ulysses took the book from The Courier and threw a question his way, "What did you find, Courier?"

Six started to explain his findings, "As you may know, I have been researching the creatures of Grimm. These creatures are basically add-ons to the local wildlife around here. The books said they were around as long as, if not longer, than humans. The books also said that The Grimm are attracted to negative emotion, so that means we're gonna have a bad time here. Older Grimm creatures learn from their past experiences, the older the Grimm, the harder it is to kill. So, summarising all that up, don't touch the old ones, don't be negative, although we are already full of that, and… oh yeah, they exclusively attack humans, so that means no 'Animal Friend' business. Anyways, Joshua?"

Joshua began to explain his findings, "I mainly researched Geology and a little on Culture. There are four different kingdoms in Remnant, Mistral, Atlas, Vaccuo and Vale. We are in Vale. I was also able to find out about a few of the different combat schools in Remnant. We are in Beacon; people say it's where the best of the best go. In the way of culture, not much to be found there, seems to be barely any religious beliefs at all. Ulysses?"

Ulysses began to explain his findings, "Researched History…"

"Of course you did." Six deadpanned

"The Grimm came first, man came next. Grimm set their sights on man, almost wiped man out, before the discovery of Dust… A natural resource that can be used as fuel, in munitions and can even be fused with the soul. Everything runs on dust, the cars, the planes, the military, all of it… That is all."

"Alright," Six started, "We need to find out more about dust and aura. Dust sounds important and we know nothing about aura yet."

"I will research aura." Stated Joshua

"Me too. Ulysses, you can research dust since you seem to know more about it than we do." Six said. Ulysses nodded in response as the group gathered books on their selected subject and gathered at a table to begin researching.

The trio researched for nearly an hour, taking notes and remembering important facts and factors undisturbed. The time ticked around to 8:37pm and the group exchanged their notes and findings before deciding that they should get some sleep.

The night went by quickly and morning soon dawned, awaking the trio from their slumber. Six yawned as he sat up in his bed, checking his armor and weapons over. He looked over to the two empty beds beside him and then took a look at the digital clock on his bedside table.

7:48am

"Damn, it's late…" Six groaned as he hopped out of bed and Joshua emerged from the bathroom door.

"Finally awake." Joshua said as he sat down on his bed and began to check his equipment over, ensuring A Light In Shining Darkness was fully loaded and in good condition, along with his armor.

"Where's Ulysses?" asked Six heading into the bathroom

"I am unsure; he was not here when I woke up." Joshua replied

"Ah well, he can take care of himself." Six said from behind the bathroom door

_**Meanwhile**_

Ulysses sat in the near empty dining hall of Beacon Academy, devouring the food in front of him. Never before had he tasted food so… good. It actually had _taste! _Compared to Salisbury Steak and other food brands, this food was like a gift from God himself.

Ulysses finished his meal in just under three minutes and decided to head back to the trio's dorm room to check his equipment

When he arrived back, he was greeted by Six.

"There you are!" Six exclaimed, jumping up from his bed, "Where were you!?"

"Eating." Ulysses simply responded

"Eating? Oh, crap! We gotta eat! Graham! Where are you?"

"On the bed next to you." Joshua said from the bed next to Six as he checked over his ammunition reserves

"We need to eat! Let's go!" Six dashed out of the door and Joshua Graham followed him out the door, walking instead of running.

Ulysses sat down on his bed and put his Anti-Material Rifle down on the bed, checking the ammunition and ensuring that the gun was in working order. He did the same for his 12.7mm submachine gun as well as checking the condition of Old Glory and counting his frags and flash grenades. Everything seemed to be in working order.

Once he had finished his weapon check, Six returned to the dorm and slumped down on his bed.

"The food is gooooooood…" he mumbled to himself

"Stay awake. Initiation starts in three hours." Said Ulysses

"I'm tired…" groaned Six

"No, you're not." Said Joshua, arriving back at the dorm.

"Do we have enough ammunition?" asked Ulysses, looking over to Joshua

"More than enough." Replied Six, "I've got an entire bag of ammo for each of our weapons."

"What a coincidence…" mumbled Joshua

Six hopped up from his bed and hoisted a large duffle bag out from underneath his bed. After around twenty seconds, Six was finally able to get the bag onto his bed.

"Since when did you have this with you?" asked Ulysses. Six just tapped his Pip-Boy and unzipped the bag, multiple loaded magazines falling out for almost every type of gun.

"This thing is useful in so many ways," Six said, referring to his Pip-Boy, "We've got all the ammo we need."

"This is good." Stated Joshua as he rummaged through the contents of the duffle bag, "Ammo to more guns than I know of."

"Exactly! If we ever need more ammo for our weaponry, we can recycle these ones. Besides, I'm sure we'll find quite the amount in the way of weapons. I spotted some little girls walking around with some real high tech compact weaponry. At the moment, I'm leaning towards a shoulder-mounted machine gun," he smiled, "Improved version, that is."

"We can focus on weapons _after_ the initiation." Said Joshua, "Let's just focus on staying alive for now."

"We are gonna _kill _this initiation!" a massive grin grew on Six's face, "Oh, that reminds me, I think I put a Plasma Rifle in here somewhere…" Six literally dived into the duffle bag in search for one of his favourite weapons.

"Hey, look, it's Red Glare!"

* * *

><p><strong>Whew! Finally back in business! I truly do apologise for the delays, y'know, writers block, losing the plans, that kind of stuff. But who cares? We're up and running!<strong>

**Updates have been removed**


	4. Chapter 4 - Initiation

**Armistice Day: UK**

At 11am on each Remembrance Sunday a two minute silence is observed at war memorials and other public spaces across the UK. The silence is meant as a tribute to those who lost their lives fighting for their country - but what is the significance of that date and time?

On the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month in 1918 the guns of Europe fell silent. After four years of bitter fighting, The Great War was finally over. The Armistice was signed at 5am in a railway carriage in the Forest of Compiegne, France on November 11, 1918. Six hours later, at 11am, the war ended.

The first Remembrance Day was conducted in 1919 throughout Britain and the Commonwealth. Originally called Armistice Day, it commemorated the end of hostilities the previous year. It came to symbolise the end of the war and provide an opportunity to remember those who had died.

In a letter published in the London Evening News on 8 May 1919, an Australian journalist, Edward George Honey, had proposed a respectful silence to remember those who had given their lives in the First World War. This was brought to the attention of King George V and on 7 November 1919, the King issued a proclamation which called for a two minute silence:

"All locomotion should cease, so that, in perfect stillness, the thoughts of everyone may be concentrated on reverent remembrance of the glorious dead."

After the end of the Second World War in 1945 Armistice Day became Remembrance Day to include all those who had fallen in the two World Wars and other conflicts.

Since 1919, on the second Sunday of November, otherwise known as Remembrance Sunday, a two minute silence has been observed at 11am at war memorials, cenotaphs, religious services and shopping centres throughout the country.

The Royal Family, along with leading politicians and religious leaders gather at The Cenotaph in Whitehall, London for a service and all branches of the civilian and military services are represented in ceremonies throughout Britain and the Commonwealth.

**I hope we all participated in two minutes of silence to remember those who had risked their lives for their country during World War 1**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 4: Initiation<strong>

The Wastelanders stood at the edge of Beacon Cliff admiring the view of the lush forest and valley beneath them. It was completely different to the dry, baron deserts of the Mojave Wasteland and definitely thousands of times better than what was now called 'The Divide'. Even Zion couldn't best what this place had to offer and it was one of the most, if not _the _most living place on Earth, covered with flowing water and plant life.

Of course, Six had heard of the humbled 'Oasis' in the remainders of DC, a place unusually covered in lush greenery that had once been a mine, but just became another part of the nuclear wasteland after the Great War.

Courier Six stood on the cliff with a Plasma Rifle holstered on his back, the Mysterious Magnum holstered on his waist with a few frag grenades and Chance's Knife in its sheathe on his chestplate, dressed in his usual Elite Riot Gear he had acquired in The Divide.

Joshua Graham stood beside Six in his usual apparel with Six's Survivalist Rifle holstered on his back and A Light In Shining Darkness holstered on his waist along with a few frag grenades.

Ulysses stood on the other side of Six with his usual duster and mask, Red Glare holstered on his back beside Old Glory and his Anti-Material Rifle, the high-powered rifle almost extending its barrel to the floor as it hung on Ulysses' back.

Professor Ozpin stood in front of them, accompanied by a woman who had introduced herself as Glynda Goodwitch.

Welcome, gentlemen, to your initiation," Ozpin spoke, "Your objective is simple, make your way to the northern end of the forest and retrieve a relic from the temple there. Return here with your relic to complete your initiation. We will be airdropping you in the forest seeing as you seem… unprepared for our usual delivery routine."

"Well," Six started, "No complaints here." The other Wastelanders nodded in agreement.

A pilot gave the Wastelanders a quick ride down to the base of the cliff in a transport called a 'Bullhead'. The Bullhead had a striking resemblance to a Vertibird, an Enclave air transport. The only large difference was that Vertibirds used rotor blades to sustain them in the air whilst Bullheads used a similar hovering system that was used in Mister Gutsy's to keep them afloat.

The Wastelanders weren't all too familiar with the Enclave, so they had no troubles boarding the Bullhead.

The ride lasted no more than three minutes and the pilot had graced them with his luck as they hopped off, "Good Luck!"

The trio found themselves in a small clearing when they had jumped off. Their weapons were drawn, ready to fire at anything that moved.

The Emerald Forest was the same luscious olive-green that it had been when the foreigners had arrived. The forest's thick canopy threw the forest floor into a thick darkness at places where not even a single crack of light broke through the canopy. Most of the forest was still dark, but not pitch black due to openings in the canopy.

The group encountered a few dozen Grimm, most were Beowolves with the exception of a couple Ursai, but all were dropped by the Survivalist's Rifle in Joshua Graham's hands, the few who got too close were instantly liquefied by the green gaze of Six's Plasma Rifle whilst Ulysses held Red Glare at the ready.

Six, Graham and Ulysses made it to the northern end of the forest in a matter of minutes, each one accustomed to traveling fast, resulting in a much shorter travel time. They came upon a clearing inhabited by what seemed to be the remains of an ancient temple.

The group approached the temple wearily, guns raised and eyes on alert, scanning every single leaf, stone or piece of dirt for traps, suspicious activity or movement of any kind. Their time in the wastes had taught them that just about anything could lurk around the corner, whether it be a Legion child looking to blow you to bits or a Deathclaw waiting to tear you open and feed your guts to its young.

As they neared the temple, Six started to remember the temple.

"Hey, this is the same temple we passed yesterday, there's even a chess piece here!" He exclaimed

"Think it's the relic?" asked Joshua

"Gotta be," Six said, picking up the chess piece that sat atop a stone podium, much like the others were the previous day, "It's the only thing here."

"We should get back then." Ulysses suggested, they all agreed.

* * *

><p><strong>Meanwhile: Beacon Academy Auditorium:<strong>

"Yang, why do you think we're all in here?" Ruby asked her sister as more students filed into the auditorium, followed by a few teachers.

"I dunno sis." Was Yang's reply

"Whatever it is, I hope it's worthwhile, we're missing valuable learning time because of this!" Weiss moaned as she sat down next to her partner, followed by Blake who took a seat next to her partner.

The team waited for a couple more minutes as more students filed into the auditorium. The large screen that was once darkened and lifeless had now flickered to life and was projecting the image of three figures in a forest, each dressed in outlandish clothes and armor.

The first of the three individuals was dressed in some sort of heavily armoured duster, armoured plating tied to his body with straps of some kind. His head was covered by a strange helmet with glowing red eyes. The man's armor was unlike anything the students had ever seen before. In his hands was a strange contraption of wires and awkward pieces of metal that looked like it had been thrown together in a few minutes using the frame of a gun to structure it on. Attached to the man's chestplate, along with various types of ammunition, was a sheathed knife. A holstered pistol hung off his hip.

The second individual's head and arms were completely concealed by bandages. His torso was covered by a shirt and a bulletproof vest. Old tattered jeans covered the length of his legs. In his hands was an old looking rifle with wooden grips on the barrel and handle, a wooden stock on the back with the word 'Arrêt' painstakingly scratched into the wood. On his hip was a pistol holster, currently occupied by a fancy looking pistol. A few hand-held explosives were also attached to the man's belt.

The final man was dressed in a sleeveless duster, armor lining the insides as well as his torso beneath his clothing. His mouth was covered by, what looked like, some sort of gas mask or breathing mask. His black hair was styled into dreadlocks and his skin was a darker tone than what most Beacon students were used to seeing. On the back of the man's duster was an unfamiliar symbol or emblem: A star in the center of a blue circle, which, in turn, was lined with several smaller stars on the inner lines of the circle. Five red lines ran the rest of the length down the man's duster, each connected to the circle. Resting on his shoulder was a device that replicated a rocket launcher, bearing the same emblem that the figure had on his back. He supported the rocket launcher with both his hands. On his back was a sniper rifle that nearly stretched his entire body length. Next to it was a long staff that stretched slightly longer than the sniper, a golden eagle perched atop. A small SMG sat on the back of his waist accompanied by a few explosives, some cylindrical, some that resembled a pineapple.

The students (and a few teachers) were completely dumbfounded when they saw the attire and weaponry. They looked like they came from an entirely different world. Each of the figures' armor and weapon choices were completely unseen in Remnant and looked as if they had been thrown together by a scavenger who got their hands on some slightly valuable equipment. All of their equipment looked as if it had been through hell, coated with scratches, dirt and dents.

"Holy crap! That guy is _fucking_ decked!" Yang marvelled at the third figure's impressive stock of weaponry whilst Ruby practically fainted at the sight of the outlandish weaponry. Blake looked impressed and Weiss had her usual scowl covering her face.

The first and second figures took point whilst the third figure followed behind, rockets at the ready. Their first Grimm encounter was with a few stray Beowolves that were delivered two bullets each by the second man's rifle. The group kicked the bodies, confirming the Grimm's death, before venturing deeper into the forest.

Their second Grimm encounter was with an entire pack of Beowolves, their numbers reaching into the twenties. The second man took out at least ten before the Beowolves were within striking distance, although those that were fortunate enough to get so close were instantly melted by the first man's weapon. His rugged rifle fired green blobs that killed Beowolves with ease, even passing through its target and going on to make its mark in a tree or another Grimm. Some of the Beowolves that were hit were liquefied in contact with the glowing green orb. The third man mowed down a couple Beowolves that got too close with his SMG. The figures reloaded their respective weapons and continued onward, moving at jogging speeds, even with their weaponry and armor weighing them down.

Ruby and Yang gawked at the sight of the first figure's weapon, Ruby actually fainting but was quickly awoken by the sound of more gunshots. Blake was busy trying to figure out how the man's gun had turned a Beowolf into a pile of green goo so quickly and easily. Weiss was paying minute, although some, attention to the live video feed, also trying to comprehend the logic of the first figure's weapon.

The auditorium was filled with the occasional 'woot!'s and cheers and the odd chorus of 'OH MY GOD!'s when the three men would use their weapons (mostly just the first one). There would even be the occasional scream from Ruby and a couple other weapon geeks in the school. Although their current display of weaponry was already impressive, every single student and teacher in the room awaited the use of the third figure's rocket launcher.

The trio eventually came across the temple and conversed a short while. To the students, each of their voices sounded _AWESOME!_ The first's voice was slightly muffled and had an almost robotic tone to it, probably a feature of his helmet. The second's voice was also muffled but sounded like the voice of wisdom. His voice was the complete opposite to the violence they were currently displaying. The third and final figure had the voice that sent shivers down your spine as it narrated your favourite horror story or gave you a lethal dose of facts and knowledge.

After a few seconds of talking, the first figure scooped up the only chess piece there (black king) and a wave of green covered it before it vanished into thin air, not a trace of it remaining. A slight aura of fear crossed over the auditorium, but was quickly engulfed by a large wave of confusion. Even the teachers were dumbfounded by this simple feat. Even Ozpin and Goodwitch were questioning where these men had come from.

Ozpin had simply assumed that they were just wanderers who had found their way to Beacon by mistake. He had also assumed that they hadn't been well educated since they had inquired about Grimm and what they were as soon as he had mentioned it. Deep down, he knew there was something off about these people, but he just didn't quite know what that something was. What he witnessed on the large screen in front of him only solidified his concerns and prompted him to ask even more questions than he had originally intended to when he got the chance.

The three set to journey back to the cliff but were stopped by distinct movement and loud rustling in the treeline they were heading for. Without further warning, a Deathstalker burst through the treeline, toppling trees and snapping its claws together looking to make a meal out of the mysterious trio.

The first one shouted, "RADSCORPION!" and the third one raised and aimed his rocket launcher, but was stopped by the first figure.

"This has punched through everything else here; I don't see why it won't melt through this ugly bastard." He raised his rifle and fired, the green blobs flying towards the Deathstalker. The large Grimm's armor strained against the green substance as it struggled to resist against the foreign weaponry. In the end, the green projectiles managed to melt through the armor, but that only enraged the massive Grimm as it charged forth.

The first figure now gave the ok for the third to use his rocket launcher. He raised the large firearm and took aim down the rectangular sight, aiming it dead center of the Deathstalker, where the green substance had managed to penetrate the armor. He fired three times.

Three red circular projectiles shot through the air on a course for the Deathstalker. Upon contact, they erupted into a beautiful display of swirling redness, each one slowing the Deathstalker's advance until the third stopped the large scorpion-like creature dead in its tracks. The Deathstalker lay lifeless, only managing to cover half the distance between the treeline and its would-be dinner.

The third figure didn't bother reloading his rocket launcher after the encounter.

The auditorium fell under a deadly silence after they witnessed the Deathstalker being silenced by the mysterious trio, just short of ten seconds.

"Did I say Radscorpion?" asked the first figure, "I meant Deathstalker…"

"Doesn't matter, old habits." Said the second.

The third remained silent as they retraced their steps to the cliffs, only encountering a couple Ursai and Beowolves on the way. The first one had shouted "YAO GUAI!" when they first encountered an Ursa, but once again corrected his naming error as he did with the Deathstalker.

Needless to say, these bizarre fighters would have a good amount of questions to answer…

* * *

><p><strong>Yay fighting...<strong>


	5. Chapter 5 - Wasteland Worries

**Happy Thanksgiving to the United States and Canada**

* * *

><p><strong>S.P.E.C.I.A.L: Courier Six: (Intense Training: Rank 5 + Implants)<strong>

**Strength: 7 (Implant)**

**Perception: 6 (Implant)**

**Endurance: 9 (Implant)**

**Charisma: 6 (Implant)**

**Intelligence: 7**

**Agility: 8**

**Luck: 5**

* * *

><p><strong>S.P.E.C.I.A.L: Joshua Graham (Official)<strong>

**Strength: 6**

**Perception: 7**

**Endurance: 10**

**Charisma: 7**

**Intelligence: 7**

**Agility: 8**

**Luck: 5**

* * *

><p><strong>S.P.E.C.I.A.L: Ulysses (Official)<strong>

**Strength: 10**

**Perception: 10**

**Endurance: 10**

**Charisma: 11 (Apparel Bonus)**

**Intelligence: 10**

**Agility: 10**

**Luck: 10**

* * *

><p><strong>I am now referring to Joshua Graham as 'Graham' most of the time<strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 5:<strong>

"God, this is worse than the damned children of the waste…" Six grumbled as he tried to swat away the annoying crowd of students that were constantly pestering him about his weapon.

"At least they actually tried to rip me off…" he groaned as a student waved some lien in the air, constantly requesting if he could purchase the weapon.

"Damn stupid kid and his damned 'toy'… Sell me a toy for 1000 caps will you…" he sighed at the memory of Max in Freeside when the little kid tried to sell him a toy gun for 1000 caps. Turns out that 'toy' was actually a targeting device for one of the most devastating weapons Six knew existed.

* * *

><p><strong>That night...<strong>

The dorm room had fallen silent for most of the hour, so Six decided to strike up a conversation.

"Do you ever think we could get used to this?" he asked, eyes fixed on the door by the foot of his bed. Graham and Ulysses looked over to him.

"I mean, I'm used to moving around, used to being on the run. I've never stayed in one place for more than a day, never had a home and yet here I am, living in conditions far superior to even the strip."

"These people are living the high life," he continued, "Whilst we were running from our fears in a baron wasteland filled with nothing more than death. From what I hear, we never had the worst of it. From what I've heard, D.C is a real dump, mutants everywhere, mercenaries being hired to kill everyone in sight. _The Enclave._"

"I agree," Graham spoke, "These people have been living in quite… luxurious conditions. Still though, it is best we keep our true origins from these people whilst we remain here."

Ulysses spoke next, "I believe that may be a difficult task to complete, I have been watching a group of students who seem rather anxious about us."

Six gestured for him to continue

"Black hair red highlights, white hair, black hair, blonde hair, all girls. Don't know their names."

"Those the girls with the weird uh… colour code thing that bothered you earlier?"

"You saw?" Ulysses tilted his head slightly

"He saw," Six pointed to Graham, "He saw, not me. He's a little more perceptive than I am."

Silence followed for a brief moment before Joshua Graham spoke up.

"Either way, these people wouldn't be able to comprehend the horrors of the wastes." He held a bandaged hand in front of his face, scorched fingers breaking the clean white bandages.

"We'll just keep our secrets under wraps." Six said, earning a glare from Joshua, "Wrong choice of words…"

"May God keep our secrets safe." Graham concluded, now staring dead center of the door.

* * *

><p>The conversation in the room fell silent once more as Weiss pressed her ear harder against the door to the Wastelanders' dorm room. The rest of her team stood behind her, eager to hear the conversation.<p>

"What are they saying?" asked Ruby from beside her

"Shh!" Weiss hissed, "I'm trying to listen!"

Silence

"It's completely quiet!" Weiss hissed again

"Well, what were they saying earlier?" Yang whispered

"I don't know I couldn't hear!" Weiss retorted

"Did you at least get the subject?" Blake questioned

"Something about where they came from." Weiss said

"What about their weapons?" Ruby inquired

"Ruby!" Yang shouted only to realise that she had raised her voice a little too high. She clamped her hands over her mouth just before the door clicked open and Six was standing in the doorway, the door now closed shut.

"Problem?" he asked

"No…" Team RWBY responded simultaneously

"Questions?" he asked

They nodded

"About?"

"Weapons!" Ruby squealed, fist flying into the air above her head only to be pulled back by Yang when she started hopping towards Six.

"What was your name?" asked Weiss, arms folded as per usual

Six tilted his head, "Was?"

Weiss sighed, "Is," she corrected herself

"Better. Name's Six."

"Six?" questioned Yang, "That's an odd name to have."

"More of an alias." Six explained, "Not my given name."

"What is your given name then?" Yang asked

"Next question."

"What's your na-"

"I said _next question_" he hissed

"Alright alright, sheesh," Yang raised her hands in self defence

"Are you okay?" asked Ruby, "You seemed kind of happy and jumpy in the forest but now you're all… dull."

"I don't usually trust strangers." He replied, "And when you say happy and jumpy, take a look at yourself. It is beyond me how you all remain so happy…" he sighed, disappearing into the Wastelanders' dorm room

Team RWBY just looked at each other and shrugged, mentally agreeing that 'Six' was an asshole.

* * *

><p>Even Six was confused. Why was he suddenly such an asshole? Six had always managed to remain positive, even after being shot in the head. Twice! Perhaps it was the feeling of anger and hatred towards these people who had lived such a beautiful care-free life, safe from harm all huddled up inside their walls. The wasteland had no walls, no happiness, no joy, no prosperity. It was always kill or be killed, scavenge to survive, live on your own piss and shit if it came to that. And yet here these people were, a healthy meal each day, parents still alive (unless they were one of the unlucky few), going to <em>school,<em> a privilege that had been taken from the people of Earth long ago, when the bombs dropped.

Six wondered what the reaction of these children would be if they ever learned about the Wastelanders' past. The horror, the gore, the pain they all endured whilst these people sat around shooting the odd animal that got too close with their fancy looking guns or whatever they had.

The looks on their faces would be priceless.

Had they even ever seen a Wastelander before? A dirty, homeless, bum who had managed to wander far enough to the west? A fully armoured walking bringer of death, bearing energy weapons of unimaginable proportions.

Had they ever seen the creatures of the wastes before? Radioactive, mutated monstrosities that looked to prey on the flesh of humans, sometimes even throwing their basic animal instincts to the wind and working together to achieve a common goal, kill the human. Had they seen a Deathclaw before? Claws long and sharper than razors, legs faster than the wind itself. Mouths and eyes of demons.

He let out a low growl.

"Calm down." Joshua Graham said, hand rested on Six's fully armoured shoulder, "They obviously haven't seen people like us before. They obviously don't know a thing about what we've been through."

Six shrugged Joshua's hand off his shoulder and went to pick up his plasma rifle, heading for the door once more. Joshua Graham sighed, looking himself over again.

**|-LINE BREAK?-|**

Night fell quickly and Graham stood alone on the rooftops of Beacon Academy, only the subtle, cool breeze to accompany him. He had longed to feel the touch of the air upon his bare skin once again, but this would have to do. His eyes were closed and he focused on the sounds of the night.

The sounds were silent, only the swaying of the breeze could be heard. A light tapping overruled the whistling winds for no more than a second before stopping. Someone was on the roof with him. Graham ignored the noise for a moment and continued focusing his senses on the night, feeling the air against his scorched fingers, tasting the sweet taste of freedom, smelling nothing at all. His mouth grew into a small smile beneath his carapace of bandages and he turned, opening his eyes and drawing A Light Shining in Darkness.

He held the .45 pistol limp at his side as he stared across the rooftop and down the sealed stairwell. His gaze pierced through the closed door and into an empty stairwell. Graham raised his pistol, aiming directly at the stairwell, then shifted the barrel's gaze slightly to the right, into the shadows near the stairwell. His finger squeezed on the trigger and the gunshot rang out, only to be drowned out by the deadly silence of the night.

A shuffle was heard, then a thud before a young girl appeared from the shadows, hands slightly raised in surrender. Her hair was long and black; she wore a black and white outfit and a bow upon her head. Graham recognised her as one of the girls who were pestering Ulysses the previous day. He lowered his unique weapon but kept the gun levelled at waist height.

"Why are you here?" Graham inquired. The girl lowered her hands.

"We just wanted to learn more." She replied, calm tone in her voice.

"We?"

"My team."

Team? How can one be so trustful of a group of others?

"Your team." Graham started, "Do you trust them?"

"Of course," came the raven-haired girl's reply.

"Would you trust them with your life?"

"…Not yet." Her reply was hesitant.

"…With your secrets?"

'_Could he know?' _the cat faunus thought to herself, alarm racing through her head, _'No, it's impossible.'_

The girl remained silent as her hair swayed gently in the breeze. Graham holstered A Light Shining in Darkness, a click sounding as the pistol slid into its holster.

"Run along," he said, "A girl such as yourself will not find any happiness in a man like me. Just pain to be had here."

Joshua Graham turned around and looked back out to the world below Beacon, all of it still encased in and endless shroud of darkness, occasionally broken by the odd light on the street or a lit up monument. By the time he turned back to the rooftop, several minutes later, the raven-haired girl had dulled her presence, disappearing from the rooftop completely, only leaving the faint smell of lavender drifting about in the air where she once stood, unmoved by the wind.

He pondered thoughts in his mind. Why are they so trustworthy? What is the military presence of this place?

One thought overruled them all.

'Why are we such a new presence? All we did was walk west. Surely there must have been other Wastelanders who have passed through.'

Graham dismissed the questions to be answered later. What he really needed now was sleep. So he did just that.

Ulysses sat undisturbed in the library, book in hands, arms resting on a fine wooden table. The feeling of polished wood was so unfamiliar to his skin, it felt nice to feel the touch of money against your skin, especially when dirt was all that was rubbed in your face as you stalk the Divide, waiting.

The book he held was entitled 'Nature's Mysteries'

There were many intriguing creatures featured in the book. A never before seen Grimm, some sort of giant fish that was found in a large lake named 'Missle Lake'.

But it was a strange creature that bore a striking resemblance to humans that caught his eye. Black scaly skin, piercing white eyes that stood out in the darkness like lighthouses, gruesome black claws nearly smothered in blood.

The image was hazy and unprofessional, but Ulysses had the perception of an eagle. The well-known form of a Tunneler was present in this book. Mutated humans of Hopeville that took refuge underground during the Great War, radiation got to them, turning them into the Tunnelers that Ulysses knew too well.

The Tunnelers had no known contact with surface-dwellers for centuries. That was until the Courier unintentionally detonated the Hopeville nukes. Tunnelers had never been seen outside the Divide before.

Why would they be here? Why not the Mojave Wasteland? Even so, it was only predicted that they would reach the Mojave by 2281.

Ulysses kept the book in his possession. He would read it every day, trying to find more creatures of the wastes. It would be kept hidden from the other members of his party for the time being. They did not need to know yet; neither did the children in this school.

The children seemed adventurous enough to go out looking for something they know they'll never find. They didn't need to go looking for radioactive creatures that posed a threat far superior to their 'Grimm'

Whilst the Grimm had their sights set on the destruction of humanity and the creatures of the wastes didn't, they still seemed to outmatch these creatures of darkness, both physically and mentally. Grimm learned from mistakes, so did the creatures of the wastes, except the mutant creatures are born with superior knowledge.

Either way, the creatures of the wastes were not something these people wanted to deal with on top of their Grimm problem.

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry this took so long, had to re-write the chapter as I didn't believe it to be good enough and I just really haven't had the knack for writing this particular story the past week. I will try to keep updates frequent, hopefully weekly.<strong>


	6. Chapter 6 - Early Morning Run

**How does Joshua Graham eat? I don't know, so he won't eat.**

**Chapter 6:**

Six had found his way to the school's running track and was now running full laps in his usual gear in an attempt to improve his speed whilst encumbered and general manoeuvrability. Six had never gotten much of a chance to have a conventional jog. Most of the time it was running to and from places, shooting most things he found along the way, human or not.

The Courier finished up a twelfth lap of the one-thousand meter track and sat down to drink from a bottle of water he had obtained from the school's canteen. He slipped his helmet off, not an ounce of sweat on his face, and shoved the water bottle between his lips, downing over half of the bottle in a matter of seconds. He quickly finished the remainder of the water bottle's contents and ended up heaving his chest in and out, taking in as much air as he could. It tasted so much better than the crap he drank back in the wastes.

He could've sworn that stuff was 50% dirt, 25% radioactive waste, 20% bloatfly crap and 5% water. The few bottles of purified water were a leap forward from your traditional wasteland water, but still nothing compared to this heavenly water that he had just rushed down his throat.

He slipped his Elite Riot Gear helmet back onto his head, clicking his neck as he did so. The helmet's red eyes scanned the open and empty field around him as he sat cross legged in the middle of the tracks.

Well, the field wasn't exactly empty. It was mostly empty, save one blonde haired girl making repeated laps around the track. Six had failed to notice when this girl had made herself present on the field, but it couldn't have been long ago, he would've noticed if they had been running laps since he was.

Who else would be up at 3:00am?

The girl grew closer and, to Six's slight dismay, he recognised the girl. Her most prominent feature was clearly her breast size, but Six hadn't been interested in that. There was no time for that in Six's case.

He couldn't exactly put his finger on where he remembered this girl from.

Six was more interested in figuring out her physique. From what he saw, the girl appeared to be 'above average' physically as he could make out slight muscular features about her arms. He wanted to ask how many laps she had done, how long she had been out here. So he waited for her to near.

The blonde girl stopped a couple meters short of Six, breathing heavily, hands on knees.

"How many laps?" Six questioned, standing over her

"Thirteen," she panted

"Only thirteen?" he asked

"How many you done?" she retorted, standing back to her full height, breath regained

"Twelve." He simply replied

"Pfft. Pussy." The blonde girl teased, grinning

"In case you haven't noticed, I am carrying nearly three hundred pounds worth of equipment." Six's eyes narrowed beneath his helmet

"Whatever… I never got your name?" the girl grinned. Six remembered now, this was one of the girls who had eavesdropped on his party's conversation the previous night.

"My name… I told you my name, it's Six."

"Yeah, but you said it was an alias, I want your _real _name."

"I… don't exactly know that."

"_Whaaaat?_ Waddya mean?"

"Just… it's a sensitive subject, alright?"

"Is it?"

"… Not really. I just don't know. Must've forgotten it."

"How does someone forget their name?"

"Amnesia."

"Amnesia? What from?"

"Things… What was your name?" Six decided to switch the subject in order to avoid having to talk about his past.

"Oh, right! My name's Yang! I take it you want me to introduce you to the rest of the team?"

"When I meet them. Can we walk? I need to get back to my party."

"Party? You mean team, right?"

"The ceremony is tonight. _Then,_ and only _then_, you can call us a team."

"Whatever suits you…"

The two started making their way to the dormitories.

"Listen," Six spoke up, "I apologise for last night, I was just a little stressed."

"No problem! Can I ask why you were stressed?"

"You really are curious, aren't you?"

Yang pouted

"Just… reasons. Reasons you don't need to know." Six told her as they neared the entrance to the dormitory building.

"Why are you up so early?" Yang asked

"I could ask the same thing. It's custom to rise early where I'm from."

"Where are you from?"

"That is a question I will not answer until you are my very bestest friend. Only then I will answer your pestering questions." Six smiled behind his metallic helmet

Yang snickered, "That sounded so stupid."

"I know."

"Well, you'd best hope to not meet my sister!"

"I won't ask."

The two parted ways, Yang headed wherever she was headed and Six back into his dorm.

* * *

><p>"I managed to befriend one of the children," Six said, slumping down on his claimed bed. Joshua Graham, who was sat at a table in the corner of the room, inspecting weapons, swivelled around on his office chair.<p>

"Which one?" The Burned Man questioned

"The blonde from a couple days back. Yang, her name is."

Ulysses was not currently present in the room. Where he was, Six and Graham had no idea. They decided it be best to leave Ulysses to his own things.

"And how, pray tell, did you manage to do that?" Graham asked, "Did you beat her into submission?"

"Hey!" Six held his hands up in defence, "I haven't hurt anyone for two whole days, new record! I was just a little friendlier than I usually am. Had to dodge a couple questions though."

"Suspicious?"

"Very. No doubt her team will ask questions when we meet them."

"When _you_ meet them." Graham corrected his teammate

"No, when _we _met them. We all need to socialise with these people more. Find out more about them, what goes on in their heads, their reaction to our stories."

"The stories will come at a later date, though?"

"Of course. All I want to do is get in their heads. Know their lives."

"I'm sure Ulysses would have a way around that. I don't know him very well, but he seems to be the most charismatic of us."

"I'm sure he wants to know more about them too. I was thinking we could catch them at breakfast."

"Seems like a sound plan."

* * *

><p>Ulysses sat alone once more, just like he had done for the entirety of his neglected life. He sat reading that very same book showcasing nature's mysteries, in the library as he had done before. So far, the former legionary had only discovered Tunnelers and Mole Rats in the book, along with some strange egg which apparently never hatched under the care of scientists. Ulysses didn't take much time to look at the egg.<p>

Ulysses didn't exactly _want _to be reading this book, but found himself forced to do so, for the safety of him and his comrades, perhaps the people of this world. He would much prefer to read up on the history of this place, the decisions made by famous politicians or war generals. He wanted to find out more about the different factions of this place, the White Fang and the criminal underworld.

He took some time out to research some more on faunus, part humans with animal traits and features, most subjected to hate and violence from humans. He didn't bother with anything more.

He cast his mind back to the Bear and the Bull, how much larger and more extreme they were than the multiple factions of Remnant. He wondered why the NCR had not yet found this world as it was closest to their territory after all.

Ulysses very much wanted to talk to some White Fang members and get their opinion on the current state of the world, why had they taken their cause to such extreme levels in an otherwise peaceful world?

There would always be something to counteract the good of a world, only if all that good hasn't been taken from it already, like Earth.

With luck, Ulysses would passively discover a member of this 'White Fang' cause. He would ask his questions and be done with them. His knowledge would expand, his wisdom would grow, and he would kill if he needed to, if he wanted to. It was always like this, with the Twisted Hairs, with Caesar's Legion, all the same loop repeated over and over again.

His eyes scanned through the pages as he constantly flicked the paper over, revealing the next page every few seconds. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of a clock that hung on the wall. The hands pointed to 12:46. It was still light out, so Ulysses assumed it was afternoon.

He shut 'Nature's Mysteries' and returned it to one of his duster's many pockets, looking up at the small stack of five books that he had previously gone through earlier in the morning. From around 3am he had been analysing several books, each centred mainly on faunus and the White Fang, though he could only find one good book on the White Fang.

He stood and placed the books he had taken back into their respective positions on their shelves before returning to his dorm room.

* * *

><p>Six lay on the floor, still fully armoured, examining a large chunk of small print on one of his many Microfusion Cells.<p>

Joshua Graham was currently seated by one of the two tables in the room, reassembling A Light Shining in Darkness for the third time that day. He checked each component, cleaning them with a small cloth he had stowed in his pocket.

The two checked their ammo reserves. Enough for the next week or so provided they would only have to use as much as they did in the initiation each day. Hopefully they wouldn't need to use any.

A quiet click sounded from the door as it slid open, quickly shutting once more after Ulysses stepped into the room holding a large black case by his side.

"There you are!" Six jumped up from his prone position on the floor, "We were just about to go get something to eat. I managed to befriend one of the four that pestered you the other day."

Ulysses did nothing but hold out a large black case to the courier.

"What's this?" Six asked

"Alpha Strike mod, for Red Glare. Thought it might be useful." Ulysses replied, Six slowly taking the case from his outstretched hand.

"Found it at the end of the Courier's Mile."

"Where have you been keeping… never mind, I'll mod Red Glare after we get some food, already missed breakfast attempting to manufacture extra ammo without a workbench of any kind…" Six sighed, "You coming?"

Ulysses replied with a small nod and the three set off for the school's dining hall, leaving their weaponry behind in their assigned dorm room.


	7. Chapter 7 - God Sent Us West

**Just a heads-up, I may have written east a couple times when I meant to write west. Sorry about that.**

**Also, sorry for the late update, been very busy lately. Plus, I violently murdered my finger and hand (it wasn't that violent) and needed time to heal before I could write effectively (time efficiently) again. **_**(Pffft, what a stupid lie)**_

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><p><strong>Chapter 7: God Sent Us West<strong>

Silence seemed to echo around the table and throughout the six people seated at it. Though the entire cafeteria was bustling with talk and laughter, one particular table remained dead silent, creating its own separate atmosphere, completely oblivious to the rest of the room.

Names had been exchanged previously, but now a dense, silent atmosphere became apparent.

That atmosphere was shattered by a subtle 'clack' as Joshua Graham laid his pistol in the center of the table; he then proceeded to spin the gun. The gun spun on its side for a few seconds before the barrel settled its gaze on Yang Xiao Long.

"Ask," Joshua Graham requested. Silence was dominant once more for the next few seconds, but the questions eventually flowed through.

"Where are you from?" Yang asked, quietly devouring the school meal in front of her. Six decided to slip his helmet off, placing it on the table in front of him and revealing a head of messy brown hair and a set of delicate blue eyes. His face was clean-shaven and a pair of circular scars showed themselves on his fore head. He quickly ruffled his hair and straightened it out, pushing it to the right before offering a reply.

"West." He said

"That's it?" came a response from Blake Belladonna as she set down one of her many books.

"Far west." Was the reply from Six

"No, she means a name." retorted Weiss, a permanent scowl plastered onto her face, clearly untrusting of the three newcomers.

Six threw a quick glance over to his companions, who were seated beside himself, before replying with, "A place called The Mojave Wasteland."

It was at this moment that Ulysses had realised the absence of one of the four female teammates, so he questioned her whereabouts.

"There were four of you." He said, not even posing it as a question, but they seemed to catch on to his subtly placed question.

"Oh," Yang replied, "Ruby said she needed to do something _really _important when she saw you three."

The three Wastelanders looked to each other, "Did she specify?" Graham asked

"No, but she shot off really quickly. Let's just carry on…"

_**Meanwhile…**_

Ruby Rose snuck discreetly through the door to the Wastelanders' dorm, hoping to go unnoticed.

The moment she saw the Wastelanders near weaponless; she had sped off to find their dorm room. The young girl had absolutely no idea which dorm was theirs, so she had ended up breaking into multiple dorm rooms using some unknown strategy to do so without eliciting a single sound or breaking a single door.

She tiptoed in a stealthy manor, dashing between several tables, chairs and beds as a means of cover to remain undetected by whatever she thought might see her. She began to drool at the sight before her.

She had finally found it, that arsenal of weapons that had bugged her mind the past day and night. So far, she could only spy one of the two weapons she had so eagerly wanted to study. She had found the large shoulder-mounted weapon the sleeveless man had decimated a Deathstalker with. Up close, it looked as if it had just been delivered from heaven, a spotlight of holy light shining down upon the marvel of weaponry laid onto a table in front of her.

A slow stream of saliva escaped her mouth as it hung agape. Her eyes locked on the weapon's intricate designs, examining each and every visible part of the weapon before her gaze finally settled on Old Glory. Her eyes quickly moved on from Old Glory as she reached out to cradle the weapon in her hands, only to find herself unable to lift the device from its place on the table. She tried multiple times to lift the weapon, only to receive the same result as she had received previously.

Ruby eventually gave up on lifting the rocket launcher and instead tried to push her fingers around the mechanical parts of the weapon, intent on studying it as much as she could.

After nearly thirty minutes, she gave up trying to examine the weapon, deciding it would be easier if she saw it in action with someone who could actually lift it. That was a question that crossed her mind, 'How did he lift this thing!? It's so heavy!'

She moved on to find the weapon that the armoured one had used, 'Six, I think his name was…'

She was overly pleased to find the second weapon on her mental list, 'the green rifle that shot green blobs'

Much like the rocket launcher, it too looked much more aesthetically pleasing in person, though it still retained the appearance of an improvised weapon thrown together with a multitude of random parts.

The rifle looked a great deal simpler up close and Ruby could predict how the weapon worked.

Ruby Rose would marvel over the weapon for the next fifteen or so minutes, before deciding that she should get one of the new people to show her how it worked when she couldn't work it herself, much like the rocket launcher, but she could just barely pick this one up.

Much against her body's judgement, her mind told her to refrain from intruding further. She would have to leave before she was found out, but not without taking a small souvenir first.

They wouldn't notice, right?

"The Mojave Wasteland?" Blake asked, splitting her gaze between the three Wastelanders, "Why is it called that?"

Six put a hand to his forehead, mumbling, "Oh God, they really don't know Earth…"

Joshua Graham decided to take up the conversation, "The Mojave is a desert. It was turned into a wasteland after the bombs fell."

"Bombs?" Yang diverted her attention from Six to Joshua

"The Great War. Whole world blew itself up with nuclear missiles. World turned into a wasteland after that."

Six decided to move the conversation along, "Alright, next question."

Weiss was next to state her mind, "What's that?" she asked, gesturing to the device on Six's wrist.

"This?" Six said, holding up his arm and showing his Pip-Boy, "This is a Pip-Boy 3000. Keeps tabs on my vitals, radiation levels, inventory, karma level, location, etcetera."

"What's a… _radiation level?_" Yang questioned prompting Six to adopt a confused look on his face.

"You don't know what radiation is? Do you even know what nukes are?"

A chorus of shaking heads as Six thought.

"Well… I suppose if you don't have nuclear weapons… yeah, makes sense you don't know what radiation is… but seriously though, it's kinda basic science. You know, alpha radiation, beta radiation, stuff like that?"

More shaking heads.

"You don't know what electromagnetic waves are?"

Only two shaking heads this time.

"What the hell do they teach you kids!?" Six threw his hands up dramatically to express his confusion. "Hang on a minute," he pointed to Blake, "You didn't shake your head. You know what EMR is?"

Nod

"Praise the Lord!" More dramatic throwing of hands in the air whilst the five others looked at him questionably, though more Yang, Weiss and Blake than Joshua Graham and Ulysses, "They're slightly intelligent!"

Ulysses felt the need to take over, "You do not have nuclear warheads?"

"No idea what that is!" Yang perked up for some reason

"Damn," Six started, "You guys really are the Pacifists you look like…"

"You have more questions?" Joshua turned his attention from Six to the girls, Blake spoke their next question.

"Where exactly is this 'Mojave Wasteland', we've never heard of it before. What kingdom is it in?" She asked

Six replied with, "Bum fuck nowhere, that's where. I'm gettin' a feeling you aren't really familiar with any of…" He gestured to himself and his companions, "This."

"We've never seen anyone like you before, who are you with?" Yang asked

"Who are we with? Well, faction wise," His eyes caught a glance of Ulysses, who made subtle body movements that suggested 'make something up'

"We are all part of a tribe known as the Dead Horses," he lied, using Joshua Graham's tribe as filler for a faction, "But we are each our own people, as you can tell by our separate clothing choices, though this isn't really considered 'clothing' around here, is it?" He looked his armor over.

"Why are you here?" Weiss spoke up for the second time.

Six looked over to Joshua.

"The Lord has sent us here," Joshua started, "Promised us something new, a clean slate, as you may say."

"How did you… get here?" Yang asked

"Simple," Six replied, "We walked."

"And your… God… gave you directions?"

"Not at all. I heard rumours. Picked these two up when I decided to look for… this place." He gestured outwards and Ulysses decided to pick up the conversation.

"Word said 'go west', so we went, through cracked landscapes to find a sleeping world." Ulysses said

Joshua then added his part, "I believe that God has sent us a quiet message, given us a chance to redeem ourselves."

"Redeem yourselves?" Weiss began to take interest in the conversation now, "What did you do?"

"When you live in a world as harsh as ours, you do despicable things to keep your own life, things the Lord doesn't smile upon. I am no exception…" Joshua's tone remained the same through his sentence.

"You have quite strong religious beliefs," Blake gathered a small amount of interest in In Joshua Graham.

"I was a missionary before I became what I am today."

"Ooh, a story. Tell us more!" Yang perked up before Six butted in to the conversation.

"Woah woah woah," he started, "We talked about this and we all agreed that we won't be telling our life stories to you guys. We don't really trust everyone here yet, and besides, our lives aren't exactly happy campfire stories, hell, they're even more fucked up than some of those shitty horror stories…" Six began to trail off.

"Do you know what the White Fang is?" Blake asked, Ulysses was first to answer

"Faunus civil-rights protesting group. Changed their ways when a new leader stood to authority. Seem to be under control." He answered

"What's your opinion on them?"

"Misguided men and women looking to find something buried under mountains of dirt and rocks. Just a thorn in the world's side, nothing to be taken seriously, but something to be observed." Was Ulysses' answer, and Blake would speak no more.

"What about your weapons?" Yang asked

"Our weapons are fairly standard." Six started, "Providing you watched our initiation, you would've seen the rifle Joshua was using. Belonged to a man named Randall Clark, or 'The Father in the Cave' to our tribe and another. Called it the Survivalist's Rifle. The rocket launcher, Red Glare, is a prototype. Thirteen rockets in three seconds, fully automatic.

"My weapon is a standard Plasma Rifle, mass produced, widely used, high-tech weaponry. Anything else?" Six concluded

"What about that armor?" Weiss asked, pointing to Six. Six slipped his helmet back over his head, eyes flickering from a dead grey to a strong red.

"Found it." Was his simple reply, "Earned it. Comes with night vision included. Saved my life more times than I could account for. I owe everything to this hunk of leather, all my respect. Now that reminds me, we have something we need to attend to, so if you would excuse us." Six nodded to his comrades and the three rose from their seats in the hall.

The three would slowly make their way out of the hall, eyed by the hundreds who were present in the room. Silence bestowed itself upon the room for a short matter of seconds, but noise quickly gathered as the students returned to their daily conversations, conversing about whatever it was they conversed about.

There was even a few hushed whispers opposing the three newcomers, but they were yet to be heard.


End file.
